Drama backdrop

Drama movies

Emotional and character-driven narratives that explore the complexities of the human condition and relationships.

Subgenres include: Psychological Drama, Professional Drama, Entertainment Industry Drama.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

1731. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Action Adventure Drama Mystery Adventure Epic
6.6

20102h 3min

China, Hong Kong SAR China

Director: Tsui Hark

When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.

Themes

Political manipulation, Neutrality in power, Secrecy and disguise, Legitimacy vs rebellion, Weaponized medicine, Ritual power vs state control

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Y Tu Mamá También

1732. Y Tu Mamá También

Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Passionate Romance
7.7

20011h 46min

Mexico

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

Themes

Coming of age, Sexual awakening, Friendship vs desire, Class disparity, Jealousy and possession, Road trip as rite of passage

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
AMC+ Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Experiment

1733. The Experiment

Drama Thriller Mind Game Thriller Psychological Drama
7.7

20012h

Germany

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.

Themes

Power dynamics under surveillance, Coercive authority and punishment, Dehumanization in confinement, Ethical ambiguity in research, Group identity and dissent, Protest vs manipulation


Hedwig and the Angry Inch

1734. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Comedy Music Drama Narrative Musical Dark Comedy
7.7

20011h 35min

United States

Director: John Cameron Mitchell

Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig undergoes a personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an 'internationally ignored' but divinely talented rock diva, inhabiting a 'beautiful gender of one'.

Themes

Gender identity negotiation, Exploitation within performance economy, Outsider status and belonging, Fame and personal cost, Ownership of creative work, Artistic integrity under pressure

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

61*

1735. 61*

TV Movie Drama History
7.7

20012h 9min

United States

Director: Billy Crystal

In 1961, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees. One, Mantle, was universally loved, while the other, Maris, was universally hated. Both men started off with a bang, and both were nearing Babe Ruth's 60 home run record. Which man would reach it?


King Kong

1736. King Kong

Adventure Drama Action Adventure Epic Entertainment Industry Drama
7.2

20053h 8min

United States, New Zealand

Director: Peter Jackson

In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.

Themes

Economic precarity, Exploitation in show business, Ambition versus ethics, Power dynamics in casting, Spectacle-driven coercion, Human-animal bond

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

1737. Me and You and Everyone We Know

Comedy Drama Awkward Comedy Family Drama
7.2

20051h 31min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Miranda July

Single dad Richard meets Christine, a starving artist who moonlights as a cabbie. They awkwardly attempt to start a romance, but Richard’s divorce has left him emotionally damaged. Meanwhile, Richard’s sons—one a teenager, the other 6-years-old—take part in clumsy experiments with the opposite sex.

Themes

Art gallery exposure, Playground boundary negotiation, Separation emotional strain, Hope chest symbolism, Shoe salesman vulnerability, Chat session ambiguity

Available on

Kanopy
Criterion Channel
Philo
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Tsotsi

1738. Tsotsi

Crime Drama Organized Crime Coming-of-Age Drama
7.2

20051h 34min

South Africa, United Kingdom

Director: Gavin Hood

A young South African boy from the Johannesburg ghetto named Tsotsi, meaning Gangster, leaves home as a child to get away from his helpless parents. Now a teenage thug, Tsotsi finds a baby in the back seat of a car he's just stolen. He decides that it is his responsibility to care for the infant and in the process learns that maybe the criminal life isn’t the best way.

Themes

Poverty and survival, Care amid violence, Illicit enterprise and risk, Gang loyalty under pressure, Authority and restraint, Urban violence and fear

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Manderlay

1739. Manderlay

Drama Historical Drama
7.2

20052h 19min

Denmark, Finland

Director: Lars von Trier

In 1933, a young woman and her father discover an Alabama plantation whose inhabitants live as if slavery had never been abolished. Feeling a sense of duty to those behind the heavy gates, she stays to liberate the people and see them through their first harvest. With four of her father's colleagues and a lawyer, she faces the daunting task of resurrecting the place known as Manderlay.

Themes

Post abolition governance, Labor ownership reversal, Racial equality rhetoric, Economic power struggle, Trust and authority fractures, Community self rule

Available on

MUBI
MUBI Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Breakfast on Pluto

1740. Breakfast on Pluto

Drama Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama Satire
7.2

20052h 8min

Ireland, United Kingdom

Director: Neil Jordan

In the 1970s, a young transgender woman called “Kitten” leaves her small Irish town for London in search of love, acceptance, and her long-lost mother.

Themes

Search for belonging, Gender identity formation, Marginalized labor exploitation, Religious judgment vs mercy, Urban rural tension, Family rejection and resilience

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.